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Commentary

Last week during his “State of the Union” address, President Donald Trump delivered an inspiring and uplifting message that seemed quite Reaganesque.I was extraordinarily proud of what he had to say and how he chose to say it.

In stark contrast to the highly polarized and partisan political environment, the president sought to unify rather than divide the country. While he rightly pointed to several achievements realized during his administration, he also called for action and solutions on some pressing problems currently holding our nation back.

In his “State of the Union” address, President Trump asked Americans to choose greatness. The guests of the White House depicted that message, too. Buzz Aldrin, the astronaut who planted the American Flag on the moon, was in attendance to represent the dominant role the United States played in the Space Race. Irving Locker, Herman Zeitchik, and Private Joseph Reilly – three soldiers who landed on foreign soil on D-Day or shortly thereafter – were in the audience to display the courage of Americans in the face of war and evil.

Life is full of choices and at a turning point in our country’s history, President Trump made a plea that Republicans and Democrats choose greatness.

America has always been destined for greatness. But, the way in which we allow individual Americans to pursue their own greatness is what sets our government above the rest.

While the State of the Union is certainly one of the greatest American ceremonies, it is much more than a production that takes place each year. Indeed, the gathering adds record to our history, affirming our founding principles and demonstrating our striving still toward a more perfect union.

My office has heard from a number of constituents recently who are receiving scam phone calls from individuals pretending to be with the Social Security Administration. Thousands of people are victims of telephone scams each year. Beware of the possibility that a scammer may call you and be prepared about how to handle and report the call.

One voice mail message from a Social Security Administration officer states that they are calling to “inform you that there is a legal enforcement action procedure filed on your Social Security number for criminal activities, so when you get this message kindly call as soon as possible…before we proceed with the legal procedure.” In some instances, scammers ask for your Social Security number in order to “reactivate your account” or “open a zero-interest credit card in your name.” Others will ask you to mail them a check so they can set up the account.

With the partial government shutdown recently ended, I wanted to provide a recap of the turn of events.

The past several weeks were certainly frustrating and inconvenient for all Americans, but the shutdown was especially painful for those who went without pay for more than a month.

Like others, I am grateful to the hundreds of thousands of federal workers for their commitment and dedication despite the hardship. But, I am also disappointed that Democrats prolonged that hardship by playing political games rather than coming to the table to negotiate with Republicans and President Trump.

The new Congress brought in many new members to Capitol Hill. Along with it came dozens of progressives, whose liberal ideas and leftist platforms would drive our country straight into socialism. One such idea is the Green New Deal.

The Green New Deal aims to harvest 100 percent of U.S. electricity from renewable energy sources and make the U.S.’s carbon footprint neutral in the next 10 years. It would also create guaranteed federal jobs for unemployed individuals, since closing every nuclear, coal, and natural gas plant across the country would eliminate thousands of jobs. Most notably, the price tag for this Green New Deal rings in at an estimated whopping $7 trillion—a cost American taxpayers would undoubtedly foot the bill for.

With the shift in majority control of the House due to the outcome of the midterms, the newly sworn-in 116th Congress will represent a challenging era of divided government. Especially in divided government, there is no room for one-sided debate. In order to get things done for the American people, bipartisan and good faith negotiation is critical. Unfortunately, with their new majority in hand, House Democrats have already demonstrated—through both rhetoric and actions—their unwillingness to work with Republicans. Instead, they seem intent on squashing conservative priorities held by constituents in many districts across the country.